Montréal, February 8, 2016 ‒ The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal’s team of international trade experts, the World Trade Centre Montréal (WTCM), which is part of the World Bank’s Private Sector Liaison Officers network (PSLO), has just concluded an important trade mission for the transportation sector with international financial institutions in Washington. The delegation, made up of over 40 participants from Western countries, including 16 from Quebec, met with a number of specialists and decision makers from the World Bank Group, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. This trade mission was conducted in cooperation with Export Québec and the PSLOs, which, with 160 intermediary business organizations in over 100 countries, promote trade and investment in cooperation with the World Bank.
“This trade mission gave participating companies a chance to more effectively seize business opportunities and form partnerships that emerging and developing countries offer in the transportation sector and at the same time address the question of financing with international financial institutions,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “It is essential for local businesses to understand how these institutions work to position themselves competitively and establish lasting relationships with their stakeholders on the ground.”
“The World Bank invested US$8.8 billion in the transportation sector in 2014,” said Mr. Leblanc. “To tackle global environmental challenges, transportation will be an increasingly key sector in the world economy in the coming years. It’s a sector in which we need to help companies make their mark.”
“In a very short time, this trade mission gave us a clear understanding of the different facets of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank and enabled us to evaluate opportunities for our organizations,” said Nicolas Théberge, Senior Vice-President at Hatch Mott MacDonald, who took part in the trade mission. “It’s definitely one of the best trade missions I have participated in during my career.”
“It’s great to be able to see so many people at once,” said Réjean Bélanger, President of Consult Rail, who also participated. “It represents a major savings in terms of costs and time. Plus, as members of an official delegation, doors were open to us, and we had access to people who we couldn’t have met on our own, even as a company president and CEO. By meeting people on site, we get information that is generally not available online.”
“The trip was very well organized, including the exclusive networking activities,” said Sylvain Côté, Director of international projects in transportation at WSP Group Canada.
“This trade mission also shows the importance of the PSLO network, which the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal’s team of international trade experts, the World Trade Centre Montréal, is part of,” Michel Leblanc said. “It is a definite asset for the city’s business community at a time when exports and international activities should be one of our business priorities.”
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has over 7,000 members. Its mission is to be the voice of Montréal’s business community and to promote the city’s prosperity. It is involved in key areas of economic development, advocating a philosophy of action based on engagement, credibility, proactivity, collaboration and innovation. The Board of Trade also offers a range of specialized services to individuals and to business of all sizes to support them in their growth at home and abroad.
About the World Trade Centre Montréal
With the help of its World Trade Montréal experts, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal offers international trade services to the extended business community, with the support of Canada Economic Development.
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Source:
Guillaume Bérubé
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4042
gberube@ccmm.qc.ca
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